Dan enjoyed nothing more than being able to just sit outside and watch the day go by. He sat on the porch of Phil's mother's house as he held a still slightly warm cup of coffee in his hands.
To Dan, being outside and seeing all the insects and wildlife was like a treat. Something which he liked to do as a little boy which had obviously stuck with him throughout life. As much as he enjoyed being inside and playing with his toys, there was just something which he really loved about being outside. Maybe it was how the warm sun rays made the air warm enough to sit out in but not too hot so that he'd need to cover up. In short, Dan loved being outside.
"Good morning Dan"
Dan looked to his left to see Ken, Phil's uncle smiling at him. Dan smiled back, watching as Ken made his way past him and sat down on the chair at the other side of the small table.
"Enjoying the view?" Ken asked as he looked ahead to where Dan was looking before.
"Yeah, It's really beautiful here" Dan smiled "If only Phil had told me how pretty this place was before. We would have been here way before now. It's just- it's really nice here. Kinda makes me sad that we have to leave"
Dan heard a small laugh escape Ken's lips as they both kept their gazes set forward of the wonderful sight of all the beautiful trees and flowers. They really did seem to sort of glow magically in the sunlight and to Dan that was just amazing.
Just as Ken was about to speak again something caught both their eyes. Phil came running into a view, slowing his pace as he approached the steps which lead up to the house. Dan felt a small smile tug at his lips then as Phil approached them, wiping his brow as a sigh of exhaustion left his mouth.
"Why does staying fit have to be so much effort?" he asked jokingly as he stopped in front of Dan. Dan was speechless, more for the fact that Phil was topless and stood in front of him than anything else.
"Good morning Phil, have fun running?" Ken asked in his usual lively way as he smiled at his nephew.
Phil pouted dramatically, a laugh leaving him as he returned his uncles smile "Of course I did, that's why I'm nearly dying here" he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"There's breakfast inside if you want it"
"Thanks, I might just have some. I never knew how hungry running made you" he grinned, finally catching his breath properly. He looked from ken to Dan, his smile softening slightly as their eyes locked. "Good morning Dan"
A light pink colour rose to Dan's cheeks as he saw one of Phil's actual smiles "Morning" he half mumbled as he tilted his head down slightly to try hide his face.
Out the corner of his eye he noticed Ken turn to watch them with a wide smile spread across his face. It was pretty obvious to Dan that Phil and Ken were very close. The way they talked and acted around each other made it look like they were friends rather than relatives.
"Did you see that sunrise this morning Dan? It was really beautiful" Phil asked, that smile still remaining on his face as he gazed almost lovingly at Dan.
"I, uh- yeah, I did"
Phil looked from Dan to the front door, a thoughtful looked taking over his face for just a second before that smile was back again. "Well I'm going for a shower so I'm not all gross. I'll see you later yeah?"
"Yeah" Dan replied, them both locking eyes once again before Phil made his way inside. Once Dan was sure Phil was out of ear shot he turned to Ken, a look of unease plastered on his face now.
"I'm guess you guys are close, right? You seem that way"
Ken looked a little surprised at Dan's sudden question. "Yeah, we're pretty close I guess. As Phil was growing up his father wasn't around much because of work, so I was his male role model I guess. Phil hasn't told you much about his childhood, has he?"
"He…He's not told me anything actually"
"Don't worry about that, he doesn't seem to like talking about it really. It's not that it was bad, it was just a very lonely time for him. You see, when his dad was there for him he would try teach Phil all about how to run a business because one day he'd take over and that was that. He seemed to treat Phil as an employee rather than his son."
"So…you pretty much were like a father to him then?"
"Yeah. Probably a much better father than my brother ever was to him"
Dan sighed, looking down to where his hands were now clasped in his lap before looking up at Ken again "He came to you for advice about this then, didn't he?"
Ken looked confused then "Advice about what?"
"This arranged marriage thing. I know I've only known Phil for a few months but I just get the feeling he would come to someone he was close to for advice"
Ken smiled, almost sadly as he meet Dan's eyes after hearing those words "Yeah, he did come to me for advice. I just told him he was old enough to make his own decisions, which is true. I don't think he even needed advice about it really. He seemed pretty set on the idea. He'd made up his mind that he wanted to marry you and my word was only really him wanting someone else to tell him it was a good idea"
"He really did want to marry me then? It wasn't just about helping my dad out?"
A proper smile covered Ken's face then "I'll let you in on a little secret Dan. Phil's had his eyes on you for about the past six months at least. Remember that talk you did to the youth club at church last summer? Phil and I were both there. We'd heard about the event and somehow managed to wonder into the room while you were there. Phil was instantly drawn to you, asking me if I knew who you were. He thought you were beautiful but soon tried to push any sort of attachment he wanted to have with you away. You see, He was still hurting. He's still hurting now. But now he has you, that hurt really does seem to be fading away"
"He- He knew who I was before all this?" Dan asked, stuttering slightly over his words. He did indeed remember that talk he gave but he didn't remember seeing Phil there. Then again, why would he remember? Phil was just another stranger that was milling around that day. This new information didn't quite make Dan feel uneasy, but more a little bit confused.
"Yeah, I knew who you were for your mother's work with the youth club. Of course I only told Phil what I knew, which was only your name. Phil didn't seem to realise it was you which he was agreeing to marry until your father and him were discussing the wedding and Phil was shown a picture of you. At first this marriage was just to help your dad out, but when he realised who you were, that's when he became incredibly serious about this. I know it's hard for you to understand, But Phil does have this attachment to you."
"Do you…Do you really think this could work out between us? I mean, you know him better than I do"
"To be honest, I'm not sure if it will. All I know is that he's at least a little bit less broken that before. I know you're not blind to it Dan, you can see how happy this is making him. He hasn't smiled like he smiles at you for at least the last two years. This is good for him, I mean, he really needed to move on from Chris"
Dan's breath stuck in his throat as he heard that name. Chris. Who was Chris?
"I think it was a good choice anyway. I think you're good for him"
"Really?"
"Yeah. But there's a question I should really be asking you. Is he good for you?"
Dan just looked startled at Ken's question. Was Phil good for him? How was he supposed to know the answer to that.
"You don't have to answer" Ken added obviously noticing Dan's distress "The answer will become clear eventually, believe me"
"I- I don't really know. I don't really know him…"
"Phil's an open book Dan. When you learn how to read him you can understand everything about him"
/
There was always something about hospitals which Dan didn't like. The thought that people came here and died daily scared him a little bit. So as he walked through the white halls to a room which he only knew too well, his heart began to feel heavy. He hadn't visited in a while, which made him feel even worse than he did already.
As he passed the many other visitors which obviously weren't happy about being here, he felt strange. Strange in a way which he couldn't really explain. Maybe it was sadness. Or maybe even regret and loneliness. Visiting here made him feel bad, but not visiting made him feel even worse when he came again.
As he neared the room he passed a woman only maybe in her late thirties crying onto the shoulder of a man which Dan assumed was her partner. He knew what she was crying about and that made that sinking feeling in his stomach intensify with each step. On this ward, when people were upset it normally only meant one thing.
"You can't let them do it. You can't let them take our baby away!"
Dan felt the familiar feeling of tears welling up in his eyes as he listened to the woman now screaming at her partner. He quickly dashed into the room and shut the door behind him. He sighed as the screams became muffled noises. Hospitals really were the one place he really couldn't stand.
Dan made his way over to the black chair and placed his bag down on the floor beside it before sitting down. The room always made him feel nauseas and dizzy. He blamed the bright white walls with the terrible lighting. He had hated this room from the first time he'd stepped into it.
"Hey…It's me again. I'm sorry I haven't come to see you in a while, but- there's no excuse for me. If you were in my position you'd understand why I hate coming here so much"
Dan clasped his hands together in his lap, trying his hardest to stop that rising feeling in his chest.
"I-I know you didn't get a say in the matter. I think you probably would have fought dad over it. You would have told him that he couldn't force me to marry Phil"
Dan sighed, fidgeting with his hands now as he looked up to the still stunningly beautiful woman who lay on the crisp white sheets of the hospital bed.
"I've been acting so selfishly you know. I thought that maybe if I made Phil hate me enough we'd call of this marriage thing so I could find my prince. But Phil isn't the problem. Phil is lovely and kind and he's done everything he can for me. He's just so nice to me, and yet all I've done is treat him so badly. The thing about him is he tries so hard for me. He really is…unlike anyone I've ever met before"
Dan didn't realise he was crying until he felt a tear drop onto his hand. He always got so emotional when he talked to her. He tried to visit as often as he did yet the fact that even looking at her made his chest hurt made it so much more of an effort.
"I miss you mum. You have no idea how much I wish I could hear your advice right now. Sometimes I really wish I could have been with you that day. That I was lying there instead of you. You just- I need you mum. I really really need you right now"
He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, letting a small sniffle be heard as he tried to pull himself together.
"Dan?
Dan looked up as he heard his name. He tried to smile although he still had tears in his eyes. "Oh, hey Natalie" he greeted as the nurse walked into the room and set to work checking his mother over in her comatose state.
"I haven't seen you for a while, you been busy?"
"Yeah…really busy actually"
"Oh that's right" she said, clapping her hands together as she grinned over at Dan "You got married, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did" he answered softly, holding his left hand up to show her the simple gold ring.
"It was for the money from your grandmothers' will. I remember now, your dad called me to tell me after he transferred the money to us"
Dad was about to nod in agreement when the words actually sunk in. Transferred the money. Why would his father need to transfer the money if it was already being paid into his account?
"What- what do you mean transferred the money?"
Natalie stopped what she was doing and looked at Dan. Their eyes locked and that's when Dan started to get that feeling back.
"You do know…don't you?"
"Know what?" Dan asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"The reason Your dad needed the money from the will was because no one would help him out with money"
"I know that, but why did he transfer the money over to you guys?"
Natalie looked confused again, her expression soon turning to concerned as she bit her lip. Dan's mind was going into overdrive now as he desperately tried to piece everything together.
"The money was for your mum's care, so we wouldn't have to pull the plug…I-I thought you knew"